Wheel.



G. M. & G. T. BADGER.

WHEEL. A'rruoumn FILED 1111.29, 1909.

Patented N( v. 14,1911.

Witnesses 111 forney count-IA mm $0., WASMINGION. n. c.

3 MIKE "EHHEET 1. 1

G. M. & G. T. BADGER.

WHEEL.

rum-r101; FILED MAR. 29, 1909,

WHEETB-SKEET 2.

' In wen/6011s UMIIIA PLANOGRAIN in WASHINGTON. D. c. 7

Patent ad Nov. 14, 1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE MARQELLUS BADGER AND GEORGE T. BADGER, 0F QUITM iN, GEORGIA.

WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE MABOELLUS Banana and GEORGE T. BADGER, both citizens of the United States, and residents of the town of Quitman, in the county of Brooks and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists of a new and useful construction of spring wheels.

The several features of our invention and the various advantages resulting from their use conjointly or otherwise will be apparent from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification and in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts,--Figure 1 is a side view of a wheel embodying our invention,-a part of the side cover of the wheel being broken away to disclose the construction of parts otherwise hidden. Fig. 2 is a cross section of the outer circular portion of the wheel, illustrating a construction where two springs are employed. Fig. 3 is a perspective detail view illustrating a form of'plate and sockets for the seating of two springs. Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspective of one of the hinge connections between the body of the wheel and its outer or peripheral tire. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a portion of the outer portion of the wheel, and illustrating one mode of connecting two springs to the hinge and to the wheel body rim and to the tread wire. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of a wheel, similar to that shown in Fig. 5, and illustrating another mode of connecting two springs to the hinge. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of our improved hinge when the hinge is made double, that is, when two of these hinges are combined as one in combination with springs connected thereto. Fig. 8 represents a cross section of a portion of the wheel shown in Fig. 1, and shows one mode, the preferred one, of combining a spring with the said portion of the wheel, the section being taken in the plane of the dotted line 8, 8. Fig. 9 represents by a cross section the spring'of Fig. 8 held in a socket at the tread rim, as well as at the wheel body rim. Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the outer portion of the wheel illustrating, in a general way, the substitution of a rubber spring in place of the metal spring shown elsewhere in the drawings.

We will now proceed to describe our invention in detail. WfljfiI'S provide a wheel body of any suitable co istruction. The wheel body shown in Fig. l, and which is a good type of a strong wh :el body, consists of a nave, or hub A, and 2 felly or circular rim B. This felly is duly connected to the hub A in any proper m:.nner,-modes of such connection being wel known. In the present illustrative instanc a, we have shown the folly connected to the l .ub by the spokes A Where this felly B is of wood and also preferably where the felly is of metal, we locate upon the peripln ry of this felly a metal ring B which latter serves where the folly is of wood to bind it and the spokes and the hub strong ly together after the manner of a common metal tire of an ordinary road vehicle, a1 id. in any case, where the felly is of I111 tal or of wood, serves as a convenient m :ans for holding the several devices which "ve locate between this folly and the outer iim or rim' tread hereinafter described. F( r convenience of description, we shall dent minate the felly (whether single or compcund) ada ted to receive and hold such devi :es as the wheel body rim We also pro ide an outer circular rim 0 located at 'a desired distance from the wheel body rim. This outer circular rim C is preferably of metal and is adapted to make connections with the devices interposed between t andv the wheel body rim. Thisrim C I! ay constitute the outer or treadtire of the wheel, but preferably another circular rim 3 is located outside of this rim C and up n it. This latter rim 0 is of any suitable material, and is preferably of rope or ru deer, and constitutes the outer tire. This uter rim, whether single as when of rim C only, or of more rims than one, as in the co: nbination of rims C and C weshall denom mate for convenience of description as me rim tread. Between this wheel body rim and the rim tread, we locate a series of hinges F. One leaf F of the'hinge is pi votally connected at F to the wheel body r m, and the other leaf F of this hinge is pi votally connected at F to the rim tread. The two leaves F and F of the hinge are a; one end pivoted together, viz.: at F. The pivotal connections F of these leaves a1 a suitably respectively connected to the wt eel body rim and to the rim tread. In the p resent illustrative instance, the connections e mployed are each a plate F, having a cylil drical portion or eye F interfitting the eyes F", F of the adjacent hinge leaf and connected thereto by a rod F extending through said eyes F F", F". Suitable bolts or screws F serve to connect one plate F to the wheel body rim and the other plate F to the rim tread.

The direction in which the wheel rotates when the vehicle is moving forward is indicated by the arrow NV, and although the hinge will operate, if its position is reversed, yet the preferred and most eifective position of the hinge is shown in Fig. 1, where, when a given hinge is at the bottom of the wheel, its pivotal end F is in front of the rest of the hinge.

Special attention is called to the fact that we make each leaf of the hinge inflexible and rigid. In our improvement, it has been demonstrated that the leaf must be rigid, or it will not be of use in our improvement.

The hinge we use as a driver, so that the driving rotary motion communicated through the wheel body and the wheel body rim is in turn imparted to the hinge and through it to the rim tread. If the hinge (driving means) were flexible, then, when the vehicle is turning corners, the flexibility of the hinge would cause the rim tread to play laterally relatively to the wheel body, and the wheel body to get out of the plane in which the rim tread is. In such event, this temporary dislocation of the said parts of the wheel will be likely to wreck the machine, and will always strain the wheel. Such flexibility of the leaf or leaves of the hinge will also materially interfere with the durability of the wheel, and will limit much of the life of the wheel. Therefore, on the grounds of safety from danger, and of economy of use and of practical efiiciency secured, we construct each leaf inflexible and rigid. This construction of the hinge and its arrangement between the wheel body rim and the rim tread allows free movement of the wheel body and to and from the wheel body rim, and no movement laterally of the rim tread relative to the plane of the wheel body. With a rim tread and wheel body so connected as to thus admit of the rim tread approaching the wheel body rim,

and again moving from the latter, we combine an elastic means for keeping the rim tread away from the wheel body rim, for permitting the rim tread to elastically ap proach and to elastically move away from the wheel body rim, according as the rim tread strikes obstacles, which communicate a thrust in a vertical plane to the rim tread and to the vehicle.

Obviously the elastic means interposed between the wheel body rim and the rim tread may be varied and be of difierent kinds. Thus in Fig. 10, we have shown a rubber spring G interposed between the wheel body rim and the rim tread. The

- tively for their reception. tion of springs increases the resistive power bottom of this spring is held in position on the wheel body rim preferably as shown, namely: by a socket H, and also held in position on the rim tread preferably by a socket H The preferred mode of connecting each socket to its adjoining rim is by bolts or screws or rivets H, extending through a plate or flange H of the socket,

and screwed into the adjacent rim.

In Figs. 1, 8 and 9, we have shown a spring K located similarly to the spring G, but consisting of coiled metal rod. Such a spring as K is preferable to the rubber spring, because it (the spring K) is stronger than the rubber spring G, and more inflexible laterally and more durable. Fig. 2 illustratestwo of such springs K, located side by side, and F ig. 3 shows a preferred mode of supporting the sockets H respec- Such duplicaof the elastic agency employed in the wheel. As a holding device for such a spring, the

sockets H and H one at each end of the spring K, may be employed. as they are in Fig. 10, in connection with the rubber spring G. But the outer socket H namely: the one attached to the rim tread, may be dispensed with. That end of the spring which is next the rim tread will be free to move advantageously slightly forward or backward on the rim tread, and if so moved will remain operative, and will not get out of working position.

The socket plate H whose socket H receives that end of a spring G or K, which is next to the wheelbody rim, is suitably secured in place. In Figs. 1 and 10, we have shown this socket plate H as secured in place by screw bolts H, screwed into the wheel body rim. A very convenient and simple mode of securing this socket plate H is shown in Fig. 8, and consists of the screw bolt having a shank M and a round head M, the said bolt shank and bolt head being shown in dotted lines. The said 'round bolt head extends into the coil of the spring K. Thus the empty space within the spring is utilized, and the socket plate H which may be then diminished in size, be securely held in place.

The combination already specified of wheel body rim, rim tread and interposed inflexible leafed-hinge and spring, located as mentioned, constitutes an efiective and operative one, and produces a wheel of great strength, durability and resiliency. But where the spring is so located, and if no springs are directly combined with the hinge, the pivotal point F of the jointed leaves, whenever the wheel meets with a decided obstruction it has to mount, it will move toward a rim of the wheel and against the same. Such impingement is obviously a disadvantage. For this reason, we provide the fOllOWlIlg' construction. At the pivotal end F of a hinge F, we provide one of the leaves F or F with an extension F rigid there with, and extending out from the hinge substantially as shown. At each side of this plate (extension) F we locate a spring. One

of these springs L is between the wheel body rim and said extension F and the other spring L islocated between the said extension and the rim tread. Both of these springs L and L are preferably held in place by a connection with the said extension F One mode of such holding consists in the sockets F F secured respectively to the felly portion of the wheel, and to the outer rim portion of the wheel. Into each socket, the adjacent end of one of the said springs enters. Another mode of holding these springs L and L in place when these springs are coiled ones consists in centrally locating that terminal end of the spring which is next to the said extension, forming it in an eye L and bolting it to the extension F Both springs are preferably bolted with one bolt or rivet L"; see Fig. 6, where the eyes L L are shown, but the rivet is properly not seen.

Among the functions which the springs perform which are interposed between the rigid extension plate of the hinge and the rim tread and wheel body rim, as above described, we mention the following: There are twoindependent springs, one above the extension and one below the said extension of the hinge, put in to hold the center of the pivot end of the hinge in as near a central location as possible while long standing. Then any shock or jar that the outer or rim tread may have, will compress one of these springs absorbing the shock before reaching the axle of the wheels, resulting in prolonging the life of the machinery and engine. By having one spring on each side of this extension provides for a shock absorber either in going backward or forward. These said devices perform the functions of a shock absorber whether the shock comes from the engine, which shock usually occurs in throwing from one clutch to the other in changing the speed of a machine, or when the shock comes from the outer rim of the wheel in meeting obstacles on an uneven road.

Now as to applying power through the hinge,the power of the vehicle being applied through the wheel to the suspension hinge, and pulling on one leaf F and pushon the other leaf F transmitting the power from the inner rim to the outer rim tire has the power is distributed t'irough the hinge compressing the spring at the extension of the hinge, transferring th point where the power is applied to the Wheel rim, as for instance, at X, out along ahe hinge leaf'F to the point F and thenc to the point between the springs Land I and thus locating the pointwhere the power is applied through the springs, to a lace on thewheel, I in advance of the point wl iere the rim treadi is in contact with the grou lid and to the un evenness or obstacles t1 1 travel thereon found. If the wheel is going forward, it will compress one of the springs L, L and release the other. Vhen the wheel is going backward, it will compress the other of the springs L, L and release the other, with the understanding that tllw machine is moving forward in the direct on shown by the arrow Z, at the center lne Of'tllG wheel,

Fig. 1, and the wheel be 1 stating in the direction of the arrow W. In case the engine suddenly starts up or suddenly increases its speed, it will, when the w heel is going forward, compress spring L and release spring L but when the wheel i l going backward under such conditions a; to the sudden movement of the engine, he spring L will be compressed and the :pring L will be released. For this reasor while it is possible to operate a hinge Fl I having an upper rigid leaf FD, formed 0: two outer leaves FD, FD*, pivotally unite d, an inner rigid leaf FD formed of two ,nner leaves FD,

FD pivotally united and pivoted substantially as described and illustrated in Fig. 7, said leaves having the e: tension FS and the sockets FS, and we in :lude such a form within one feature of our invention, such form is obviously not nea rly so advantageous as where in the hinge shown in Fig. 1, the rim tread has great f1 eedom to alter its position relatively to the wheel body rim.

Our invention is of primary importance in and for the wheels of ehicles where the wheels must sustain heavy weights, and th vehicles are driven at a ligh rate of speed upon roads other than tr imways and railroads; also where comfc rt of riding and absence of jar and of vel tical thrust is desired for the persons ridii .g in said vehicle; also where articles of a fragile nature, or such as are easily injured by concussion or jar are to be conveyed.

By our invention, the movement of the vehicle is easy; the wheels are durable. The wheels, of course, cannot )e punctured, and

they avoid all of the expense and delay and trouble consequent upon puncturable tires.

Our invention is comparatively economical in construction, eificient in use and of great durability.

What we claim as new, and of our inveni tion and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

tension secured at the pivotal connection of the leaves, said extension being rigid relatively to one leaf of the spring, and springs located respectively between the extension and the rim tread on one side and the wheel body rim on the other.

2. The herein described improvement in Wheels comprising a Wheel body having a .rim, a rim tread surrounding the rim and spaced apart therefrom, a three point suspension hinge having inflexible leaves pivoted together at one end, the other ends of the respective leaves being pivotally attached to the inner side .of the rim tread and to the outer side of the Wheel body rim, a rigid extension secured at'the pivotal connection of the leaves, said extension being rigid relatively to one leaf of the spring, and

springs located respectively between the extension and the rim tread on one side and the wheel body rim on the other, and springs bearingbetween the inner side of the rim tread and the outer side of the Wheel body rim and independent of the three point suspension hinge for giving resiliency to the wheel.

GEORGE MARCELLUS BADGER, GEORGE T. BADGER.

Attest as to G. M. B'.:

W. A. VVHIPPLE, J. R. DAVIS. Attest as to G. T. B.:

J OHN E. FITZPATRICK, K. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. O." 

